BE1008361A5 - Device advertiser - answering telephone communications. - Google Patents

Abstract

Telephone announcer-answering device of the interactive type, with timed line guard, comprising a telephone / microcomputer interface card, a logic unit which, by means of the addition of a set of sensors-detectors and a set of line seizure and transmission on the telephone network, management of inputs, outputs and / or time of communications and that of any deviations of voice messages, music, or superposition of these two elements, these different operations being made by way of pure digital storage and transmission, the encoded information being exclusively reserved for the optimal management of the comings and goings of the messages whose routing was, at the start of the day pre-programmed by the owner of the device. Remote interrogation of the messages present in the unit, both in "announcer" and "answering" functions is possible.

Description

       

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  ANSWERING DEVICE FOR ANSWERING TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
The subject of the present invention is an announcer-answering device for telephone apparatuses allowing optimal management of the transmission and reception of telephone communications in the absence of the subscriber. It therefore aims to improve this important social contact tool that the telephone constitutes in professional and private life.



   More specifically, the present invention aims at the development of a fully interactive interactive telephone announcer-answering device, with timed line guard comprising a telephone / microcomputer interface card, a logical unit which ensures, with the help of '' a set of sensor-detectors and a set of line seizure and transmission on the telephone network, management of inputs, outputs and / or communication time and that of any deviations of voice messages, music, or of superposition of these two elements and which memorizes and sends messages which are prerecorded, announced or received, by pure digital storage and transmission and subsequently, converted into analog form.

   The device has the particularity that the encoded information is reserved for the optimal management of message traffic, with on the one hand, a fair distribution in time of the "announcer" and "responder" functions and, on the other hand, a limited reiteration of calls in the event of absence and finally, with identification after analysis, of the audible "beep" of an answering machine, followed by the sending of a message to the latter.



   The telephone announcer-answering device in question also has the particularity that the storage medium is a set of RAM memory type addressable during operation, the digital recording forming the substance of a message, this set being divided into two sub-assemblies, the first which takes over the function of answering-recording of messages, the second, in addition, ensuring the function of announcer-recording of messages, said sets being functionally slaved to the control signals of the logic unit which digitized the initially analog messages, put them in digital memory, to restore them according to a well-defined program in digital or analog mode before sending them on the network line.



   In the telecommunications field, answering machines are known and are part of a widely used and mastered technique.



   The "announcer" function in telecommunications is mainly known, in graphics, by "FAX".



  Similarly, data transmission by telephone using a modulation-demodulation unit (MODEM) and

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 the dialogue with a computer are known things. In the latter two cases, they are more information transfer tools than socio-economic contact systems. The invention also wants to realize the function "announcer" for a transfer of information without writing support and with correction in the expression, by the total absence of distortion of the voice of the caller.



   Currently, the use of programmed devices to record and store voice messages and then send them at a specific time by dialing the number of the correspondent at the said time, is limited to fairly limited and very focused applications. .



  We are thinking here of the wake-up service in hotels, urgent messages in the babysitting or ambulance services, certain inter- or intra-company communications (a central office vis-à-vis sales representatives). All these situations have in common that the automatic call is part of a procedure, most often known in advance by the recipient and which aims to send the latter a message located in a very limited field (the client of a hotel that asked to be woken up, the rep who expects orders from his superior).



  Attempts have also been made to use such devices in the context of advertisements, sociological surveys or telemarketing surveys, but it should be noted that the use of such techniques has declined, as demonstrated by a number of number of studies.



  The relative failure of "voice mailing" in this particular sector lies in the superimposition of three factors
Use of an impersonal means (an automaton) and new for the recipient
The speaking voice is unknown to the recipient
The very nature of the message (advertising, survey) risks putting the recipient through.



  The relative failure of voicemail by advertiser (in the particular field of advertising, surveys, marketing, etc.), has aroused, mainly in the United States, a certain reluctance towards the technique even then that this, with a certain number of modifications, could be very useful in the context of social relations in everyday life.



  In this much more general application, the person whose voice is recorded on the advertiser will, in many cases, not be unknown to the recipient and the latter will not have to deal with a message whose nature is, a priori , unlikely to interest him.



  Addressing a wider target audience (professional and private) where the importance of human relations prevails, everything

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 as much as the concern for user-friendliness, the announcer device according to the present invention, which is in the form of a compact device (see below) for easy handling, meets certain needs, which are not satisfied by this particular audience and which we list below. -after: - The device allows the traffic of information in both directions, precedence being granted, during the execution of operations to the greatest correction in the quality of speech and accuracy in hearing messages issued.



   - The device according to the invention makes it possible to send a message previously recorded to any person absent at the time of the call, whether or not equipped with an answering machine, and this, by the technique of programmed reiteration of calls, as long as 'they are unsuccessful (1), this reiteration being done in compliance with "social conventions".



  The device therefore relieves the user of the obligation to reform the number due to the absence of the called party or the busy line. It is therefore a particularly interesting solution when you want to send a message to a person not equipped with an answering machine and temporarily absent.



  The call will be repeated automatically at a frequency chosen in advance by the user, possibly for several days. The device also makes it possible, according to the data it has in memory relating to the called party, to change the call number according to the telephone sets near which the called person is likely to be (case of people being at another address during the weekend).



  The device allows you to record the person's possible response to the message they have received.



  In the event that the recipient is absent but has an automatic answering machine that is connected, it is to this that this message is sent after the "beep" sound (see below).



   - The device allows you to send a delayed message. It allows you to contact the person at a specific time when you are not yourself present or available. A previously recorded message can for example be sent in the middle of the night from Brussels, so as to arrive at the appropriate time to a recipient who is in another time zone.



   - The device also makes it possible to send the same message to a large series of people, avoiding the loss of time resulting from the number of people to call and the
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 probability of a certain number of "unsuccessful" calls (1) due to the absence of certain "called" or the occupation of their line at the time of the call.



    (1) by unsuccessful call is meant that the called party has not picked up

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   - The situation in which the person picking up is not the actual recipient of the message (but his spouse, for example) has also been considered. The device is provided with interactive functions which allow the correspondent to put the message on hold (time to go and find the actual recipient who is, for example, in the next room) or to listen to the message again after a first hearing.



  - The device also includes an interesting improvement of the "AUTOMATIC REDIAL" function existing on recent telephone sets and telephone answering machines with incorporated telephone. The "AUTOMATIC REDIAL" function of these devices allows the automatic reformation of the number of an extension that is occupied, at a rate of approximately fifteen times per quarter of an hour. This feature did not exempt the caller from standing next to his device to speak when the called party picked up.



  This presence is no longer necessary since the off-hook performed by the called party will trigger the transmission of a previously recorded message. In this case, the caller always retains the possibility of interrupting the message and intervening "live".



  - The device ensures optimal management of the calls it makes and the responses it receives. It can deliver at any time a report on the progress of all the missions (announcements) it performs.



  The interactive answering machine does not require the recipient to be equipped with a fax, computer, minitel or even a simple answering machine. On the contrary, it allows to a certain extent to make up for the absence of an answering machine or telefax on the part of the called party. It is sufficient that the latter has a telephone set. However, for certain interactive functions, such as putting the message on hold or repeating it, it is recommended that the correspondent be equipped with a telephone with DTMF keys. If this is not the case, the same result can be achieved if the correspondent uses a "pocket tone Dialer" available at very low cost on the market.



  The device according to the invention also makes it possible to more effectively solve certain problems that have not been fully resolved so far.



  The first problem that arises when developing an announcer system is that of recognizing the presence, ultimately, of a answering machine and not of a human person. It is this problem which is, inter alia, evoked in US A 4941166 (US TELECOM). Recognition is made on the basis of the observation of silence in the audio message received from the correspondent. The same

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 problem of recognition of human voice is treated in WO 92/08309 (DIBIANCA): The recognition of an answering machine is done according to an analysis of the speaking and silence times of the response obtained during the stall.

   "Standard" ranges are established taking into account a "reasonable" period for the called party to identify itself ("Hello?") Or ("Smith and Associates, good afternoon") and then to mark a moment of silence for allow the caller to speak. When this silence is detected, the device concludes that its interlocutor is a person and not an answering machine. Several tests are carried out consecutively to reduce the possible margin of error. In the event that the announcer has identified an automatic responder, he waits to detect the silence that follows the transmission of the message from the answering machine before transmitting his own message.



  It should be noted, however, that the method of speech / silence time analysis is effective in a large number of "ordinary" situations but may turn out to be more uncertain in other cases.



  Indeed, the models considered valid for "current" situations cannot exhaustively embrace the extreme diversity of "reactions" that can be obtained when the correspondent "picks up", both in the case of a natural person and of an answering machine.



  The speed and extent of reactions (silence / speech) of the person who picks up depends on their character, their age, their hearing or comprehension skills (foreign language), various socio-cultural factors.



  On the other hand, we find on traditional answering machines the messages accompanied by music or sound effects and possibly interspersed with brief silences.



  Given the extreme diversity of these situations, an advertiser who is programmed to trigger his message following an analysis of standard speech / silence periods risks being "deceived" as to the nature of the message he tries to analyze (answering machine or human voice) and, if he is in contact with an answering machine, may also make a mistake in determining the exact moment when his own message can be delivered.



  The reliability rate of devices equipped with such a recognition system may therefore prove to be insufficient.



  The device according to the invention, for its part, is equipped with a recognition system making it possible to conclude that an answering machine is present by analyzing and recognizing the audible beep which is launched at the end of any welcome message. .



  Analysis of the frequency or frequencies that make up the responder's beep signal during a validation period of a few seconds, independently of other sounds or

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 noises makes it possible to conclude that an answering machine is present Recognizing the beeping sound of the answering machine makes it possible to reset the message and / or possibly to select it under a "reduced" variant and to broadcast it exactly at the appropriate time.



  Another problem that “voice announcer” type devices can present concerns the privacy of the people contacted, their entourage or their neighbors.



  The interactive announcer answering device according to the present invention is designed to make the concept of automatic telephone announcement more socially acceptable to the public.



  The principle underlying the philosophy of the device described in the present invention is that everyone contacted has the strictest right not to listen to or not to listen to the recorded message they receive or to the end. do not give him an answer (in the same way that no one is forced to listen to a traditional answering machine or to leave him a message, even if this latter behavior sometimes tends to be judged as "associal").



  The concern is to avoid spreading an "aggressive" device.



  This principle is embodied in the following way.



  Automatic reiteration of calls, which is part of the device's properties, is excluded from a "recipient" who has not listened to the message until the end or given a proposal to press a certain key on the keyboard to acknowledge receipt.



  A fortiori, it is excluded in the event that the recipient has not given a response to the message he has received.



  These two "constraints" are intangible, so that the user cannot override them by programming.



  The automatic reiteration procedure contains a "safeguard" system which prevents programming a day and night call and informs the user visually and audibly as to the "disturbing" nature of his message if he wants to program it afterwards. 9:30 p.m. (see below).



  There is a system of close reiterations of calls in the event of reception of a busy tone and a system of spaced reiterations in the event of the absence of the person contacted, the frequency of reiteration can only be increased up to certain limits.



  In the case of calls to several people, the frequency of automatic reiteration of calls does not increase in proportion to the decrease in the number of people remaining to call.



   It is necessary to better specify the needs satisfied by the present invention, by analyzing, without marketing aim,

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 the various messages that the advertiser according to the invention can send. We can identify: - the individual message which is, by definition the one whose content is intended for a single person: the recipient. There are many reasons for its broadcast by advertiser: p. ex, a detail considered important was omitted in a previous conversation, telephone or ordinary, and must imperatively reach the recipient. Or in a busy day, a news must be transmitted and the called party cannot be reached, the caller himself having a very busy schedule; it is understandable and acceptable, at present, the call is made through an advertiser.



   - the collective message is, by definition, one that has several recipients. In this case, the "mission" is to convey the same information to a determined set of people: it is necessary, for example, to inform a whole team of footballers that at the last minute, the place where the match will take place has been modified .



  In the case of a "collective mission", the name of the people to call is entered or selected in the "database" of the device and a single message is recorded. The timing of the calls, that is to say the frequency of reiteration, the determination of the calling periods and the maximum duration of the mission can be done globally, that is to say identically for each member of the "target group", or individually. The device will therefore launch its calls (formation of the number of each recipient) and, if necessary, its reiterations of calls according to the parameters described above. The mission will be considered accomplished with respect to a recipient when he has picked up and has therefore been able to read the message. In this case, the device will cease any reiteration with respect to this recipient.



   Widespread use of an interactive announcer-responder as described above will initially require some adaptation to this development in technique, both for the user of the new device and for the recipient of the message. This adaptation will be done in the same way as in the case of the classic answering machine which has now entered the customs.



   To facilitate the gradual adaptation of the public to the advertiser's job, an "introductory message" has been provided. This general message can be used towards all those called. It is intended to remove any ambiguity in the mind of the recipient who has just picked up and to familiarize him with this new technique.



  The introduction could be as follows: "You are in communication with the announcer-autoresponder of XX (name of the caller) who has a message to transmit to you.

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 Please excuse it for not being able to transmit it orally. Here is the message ... "(then follows the message itself). In the introductory message, we can also specify what the correspondent must do to put the message on hold or to listen to it again (interactive function). The introductory message could also contain an invitation to leave a response after hearing the message.



   During encoding, the use of the introductory message can be eliminated for recipients who have become familiar with the system according to the invention.



   The device is also equipped with a time management system dedicated to sending messages.



  It is clear that depending on the high number of missions that the user introduces, and depending on the chosen repetition rate, the time that can be allocated to new missions decreases and could even become insufficient. In the latter case, we reach saturation: for lack of time the aircraft is unable to carry out the missions according to the parameters entered.



  The automatic measurement of the theoretical saturation coefficient, which is one of the device's properties, relieves the user from having to make estimates of available time himself.



  The calculation takes into account the number of people to call, the number of reiterations and the maximum duration of each mission, i.e. the duration which takes into account the maximum number of reiterations of call (since the moment when the called party will hang up is unknown).



  If, when loading a new mission, the calculation leads to the conclusion of a risk of saturation, the user is informed of this fact by a specific mention which appears on the screen.



   As already mentioned, the state of the art requires the use of specialized people to ensure the correct operation of devices.



   Consequently, the device according to the present invention aims to propose a telephone announcer-answering machine of interactive type such that the medium ensuring the memorization is an assembly made of a double pair of memories carrying digital information resulting one and the other of the "high fidelity" level digitization of the human voice (transition to the binary system by analog / digital conversion). Digitization concretizes memory entities likely to interact. The first entity taking charge of the answering machine-recorder function, the second entity ensuring the function of announcer-recorder of messages, said entities being functionally slaved to the control signals of the

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 logic circuit system.

   On the other hand, the interactive telephone announcer-answering device according to the invention is distinguished by the fact that the control signals which emanate from the logic circuits and to which the said information medium entities are controlled make it possible to carry out in isolation or possibly to jointly, announcement and response operations and in that these signals are the result of the actual execution of the sequence of intangible instructions present in read-only memory.



   The telephone apparatus, if it is capable of a logical management unit according to the invention, makes it possible to carry out a set of functions divided into two categories: "global" functions and "intrinsic" functions.



   Thus, the following are first of all defined the global functions allowing the obtaining and / or the introduction of a group of data which are necessary for the use of the telephone envisaged under its double aspect: announcement and response.



  This is the list of people who can be called, with their phone number (s), the time or time interval during which they can be called, the list of people who have received one or messages sent, etc.



   The second functions, called "intrinsic", are really specific to each mode of use envisaged (answering machine or announcer) of the telephone apparatus available.



  The very definition of these functions calls for few comments, since it is understandable that each task which the "automated" telephone according to the present invention will have to perform, requires that the logic circuit corresponding to its position be provided inside the apparatus. production.
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  Obviously there will be "intrinsic" tasks for the responder function alone and "intrinsic" tasks for the "advertiser" function alone.



  If the phone has flexibility, as is the case for devices with DTMF system, global tasks but also "interactive". responder-advertiser are being considered.



  These functions allow the response to a voluntary or prompted remote interrogation. They allow remote unloading of the announcer and / or the answering machine, memorization of the call number of a caller during an announcement (DTMF case).



   Between each announcement, an interrogation waiting loop counts the incoming calls. The function provides for the recall of the callers above if they are in the list of callers.

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   Thereafter, the word "transaction" will designate an announcement or a response made by the device.



   A transaction can be a direct announcement or an "indirect" announcement, that is to say an announced message whose emission follows a call (interrogation of the advertiser by an external correspondent). A transaction can also be a direct response (known conventional answering machine), an indirect response (interrogation of the answering machine by the subscriber himself who interrogates his device from the outside via DTMF). It will be assumed that, in the normal use time zones, variables are defined for the data inputs, the operations to be carried out, the sequence to be followed, and for the summaries after a certain number of minutes of operation.



   Among the data which we keep stored in the fixed memory but which are erasable and recordable, there are data relating to the correspondents which we know around the world. CO $ = last name, first name ADCO $ = street, number, postal code, city, country NAP (i) = full call number of the correspondent COS (I).



   The correspondent is assigned the index i according to the location of his surname in the alphabet.



  This number always starts with the country code where the "called device" is located. As will be seen below when the announcer-responder is loaded, a digital test carried out on the first two digits is executed and the destination country is identified (each country has its network opening number). When the called party is in a country located in a different time zone, the selection of call ranges will be made according to the local time of the country.



  The operational variables are those which evolve according to the tasks of the PLC.



  HAR $ (k) = name of the persons called.



  We have K = l at the start. REP (K) = Maximum number of repetitions of the call that the device according to the invention can make to the person HAR $ (K).



  SIL (K) = number of successful calls The maximum value of SIL (K) is REP (K) POL (K) is the name of the one who reacted positively on the answering machine. We suppose that by respecting the conveniences
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 social, the operation is between 9:30 am and 9:30 pm. The device of the invention will be autonomous and we will therefore have under these conditions: DEP = 9:30 AM: AR = 9:30 PM (by def.). An autonomous system is therefore defined. Of course, if, in the list of countries to be called, the logical unit detects a probable instant of call which is incompatible with the corresponding timetable of the country, the real call will be made at a calculated real instant of call according to the routine

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 jet lag mentioned above, the main features of which are given.



   Other explanations, objects and advantages of the present invention will appear in the light of the appended drawings in which: - Figure 1 is an illustration of the usual telephone communication circuits envisaged in the present invention.



     - Figure 2 is an illustration relating to the two types of handsets currently in use.



   - Figure 3 illustrates the set of connections of the "input-output ports" type allowing a direct impact on the line. We know, moreover, that an intervention based on "response" and "announcement" is possible for certain types of network - FIG. 4 illustrates an interface circuit (in practice: a card) and the arrangement of the components.



     - Figure 5 is a table of recommended values for components, values which give a disorderly operation, neither in the transmission, nor on the telephone network.



     - Figure 6 illustrates the general diagram of a logic unit for managing incoming and outgoing messages in an installation ensuring the dual function of announcement-response ", according to the present invention.



   - Figure 7 is the general flowchart clearly illustrating in a usual manner the sequence of logic instructions whose sequence allows to realize the double function as it is provided according to the present invention.



   - Figure 8 shows the flowchart for the logical subroutine for preparing the "announcer" function. (Preparation of corresponding files) - Figure 9 illustrates the flowchart for the logical subroutine for issuing reports for the execution of the "announcer" function, taking into account the constraints of the need to ensure the "responder" function in certain ways.



     - Figure 10 is a block view of the functions offered to the user Menus (A); Detailed menus (B).



   - Figure 11 is a perspective view of a possible practical configuration for the "answering machine-announcer"

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 as produced in a preferential but nonlimiting manner, according to the present invention.



     - Figure 12 shows in the form of interconnected blocks, the path of information during operations performed by the device according to the invention.



   The various figures are given by way of example illustrating a particular embodiment of the "announcer-responder" according to the invention.



   FIG. 1 is a double illustration: the upper part relates to the entire network, on the subscriber side, and the lower part relates to the basic circuits of a telephone exchange.



   Recall (see fig. 1) that a transmission is two-wire, one wire for communication and one for ringing.



  The upper part of FIG. 1 relates to the part of the circuits relating to the subscriber. Below is the part of the telephone exchange.



  If the telephone is not picked up, the circuit between the subscriber and the exchange is open, except for the ringing circuit which is always connected to the exchange.



  The ringing circuit is high impedance and has no influence on the voice in the speech circuit. The handset picked up, makes the connection. The resonator sets the tone "la" in the ear of the caller. Exchange is possible and a number can be launched. We will speak of "address", when no confusion is to be feared. Addresses are issued by rotating a dial. Today's phones send audio frequency signals.



  The rotary phones are visible in Figure 2a. The devices in Figure 2b use signals which each correspond to a combination of two specific frequencies (DUAL TONE MIXED FREQUENCY system: DTMF). Any automatic system which is grafted near a telephone, whether for "call" or for "answer", is required to take the line, which is the same as picking up. To do such a maneuver is to consume, for the voltage of 48 V which supplies the telephone line, a current of 35mA called "loop current". At the end of communication, there is a loop opening which lasts more than 300nsec, and which frees the line. In everyday language, this is the "hanging up" of the handset.

   During its operation, the automatic system is constantly able to recognize if there is an incoming call (in everyday language "if the phone rings or if it is busy") because, in all circumstances, the network is designed so that the information corresponding to the desire to establish a telephone link is conveyed in a clear and precise manner which is as follows: a voltage of 80V at a frequency of 50 Hz is superimposed, by the telephone exchange, on 48 V DC of the line. Electronic detection of this voltage (therefore of this signal

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 alternative superimposed on a continuous signal of amplitude double of the initial signal) is easy thing that one can achieve whatever the circumstances of operation of the receiving device.

   Loop current detection detects loop "current". It suffices to interpose, in series, with the telephone set such a conventional circuit "loop detector" which is a real telephone interface. For a single station, such a device makes it possible to know whether the device has been picked up in the absence of the owner. For a multiplicity of stations (see Fig. 3) to which the device according to the invention would be associated, the loop current detector interface makes it possible to detect the stalls (in call and in response) and to record the numbers dialed (in binary coded decimal number).

   Let us also point out, in this context of the multiplicity of positions, the known possibility of the "line cut" interface, an interface which, coupled with the device according to the invention would allow call discrimination.



   The possibilities that the interface circuits can present are numerous and very important. There is obviously one that will only be accessible in infrequent cases: the caller identification function. It is interesting in the context of the present invention since the advertiser having for example requested a response, which the called party cannot give directly, the called party has three possibilities, when he responds later to the invitation to re-telephone: - A The initial caller is physically present.- - B. The initial caller is absent but the answering machine exists and a answering machine does not support the person.- - C. The caller is absent, the answering machine exists but we are reluctant to use it (more common than you think).



  Except in the case where the person "allergic" to the answering machine has a device with D. T. M. F. and agrees to use it, NEVER, the telephone number of a transmitting station will not be physically identifiable.



   The other elements of the device according to the invention in the case of a multi-station installation are the detector 2, the line socket 4 by which the analog pulses arrive via the two lines symbolized in dotted lines at 7.



  The reference numeral 6 relates to the polarity reverser which operates under the control of the logic unit 5 (fig 3).



   An interface diagram made on a card (or in three dimensions for reasons of compactness) is visible in FIG. 4. The components used to graft this circuit onto the telephone network are conventional. These are transformers, photocouplers, relays, diodes including

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 values giving satisfactory results are given in figure 5.



   The upper part of the circuit of FIG. 4 shows that the secondary circuit of the current type transformer TRS53 is connectable to low impedance inputs / outputs for audio signals coming from the D / A converter which carried out the analog reconstruction of the digital signal present in memory in the section reserved for "callables of the day".



  Low impedance compatibility is guaranteed by the 680 ohms of R3, while protection of signal shape is guaranteed by the square of diodes lN4148.



   The central ring detection part is a rectifier assembly supplied by an R, C circuit, which blocks the direct current. The relay control inputs are activated in a low state and their reference is ground. The relay control is done in 5 V, the origin of which may be the logic system according to the invention.



   The numerical values and the characteristics of active and passive electronic components mentioned in the table in FIG. 5 are data proven by experience. The tolerance to be adopted is largely a function of existing requirements and standards since the use of the device according to the invention is conditioned by aggregation by a set of organizations. The physical realization and the operation of the device installed on a network correctly designed to simulate a telephone network, make it possible to affirm that the values of figure 5 are acceptable by the authorities of management of telephone network which is responsible for defining the relative errors tolerated, basing this definition on technical arguments aimed at the common interest in socio-economic relations.



   In Figure 6, there is illustrated, by an original presentation, the diagram of the connections necessary for the operation of the device according to the invention. The techniques are those of microelectronics. It is a microelectronics whose logic unit 7 accessible by the keyboard 8, is a wafer of a single crystal of silicon; logic unit 7, encompasses over a square centimeter 1,000,000 large-scale integrated circuits (see L. L. S. I.). The speech circuit 4 is that including sound recording, digitization. In FIG. 1 is the bell, SI is the line socket connector, Q1 maintains the cadence of the pulses between the unit 7, pulses which are controlled according to the sequence Q2, a sequence which is slaved to the program of the unit.

   Reference numeral 9 is a backup battery which, via the resistor, prevents the erasure of

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 R. A. M. fs. The use of such a processor in conjunction with a telephone unit is known: Ex: the "chip AM 160" from "National Semiconductor" which is mentioned in the French review "01 / Informatique" (18/11/91). The different message carriers are designated as follows: -MESSANl is used to memorize, in bits, the messages of the day.-MESR2 memorizes the welcome message / responder-REPAN1 is used to memorize the response messages / responder-REPR2 memorizes the response messages / advertiser. An introductory global message for "uninitiated" is provided at a special address of MESSAN1.

   All messages are therefore scanned and addressed to be stored in digital mode.



   It is clear that in order to respect the impeccable and recognizable character of the voice, whether calling or answering, a sufficiently fine digitization must be used. If the digital signal is designated by s = f (t), where t is the time which elapses during the speech, we know that it takes a sampling frequency of 4000 hertz to have a faithful reproduction (The band of frequency to recognize a voice is between 200 and 4000 Hertz).



   Digitization of the voice is achievable in a current way, nowadays. There are known A / D converters that integrate easily into a peripheral organ. This organ performs a sampling and storage operation for f (t); it can be perfectly integrated into a microprocessor installed in a telephone environment according to the invention. The main object of the invention is to ensure optimal logical management of messages leaving and entering a telephone installation, more particularly targeting the case where the telephone network used is not specially digitized. Although it has the enormous disadvantage of requiring a channel by communication, the traditional network allows to receive on the local loop of the called party only one voice message, on a single channel.

   Without a digital network, on a channel, we can use multiplexing methods: we adopt a carrier wave frequency twice the maximum voice frequency: for example, 8.14 kHertz using 12 channels of width 12, we use a band 48kHz wide bandwidth in which, by demodulation, two messages are identifiable. In the bandwidth of the ordinary line, we send, in addition to speech, signals which are descriptive of the states of the line. They can be either analog or digital.



  The ten decimal digits are, in the D. T. M. F. system, the combination of two (dual) frequencies of the voice band transmitted simultaneously. The conversion of this mixture of frequencies into a corresponding pulse train is done at the exchange.



   It is obvious that the memorization of the message being done in digital form, it is superfluous, during the launching

  <Desc / Clms Page number 16>

 of an announcement, on a digital network which is intended for a digital radiotelephone terminal, to carry out the D / A conversion. Not only is it not economically justified, but it is devoid of technical significance. Provision is therefore made, also according to the present invention, for the direct passage of the message stored in the line seizure interface to effect passage and direct access to the line in "announcement" mode and in response.



   The application of the present invention is therefore conceived on the usual carrier wave network (analog network) and on digital networks such as PBX, DCS, with pulse code modulation (PCM) and TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) and also on high frequency networks (optical fibers); I. S. D. N., etc ...



   There are analog / digital and digital / analog cards on the market specifically for the voice frequency spectrum. Note the SOUNDBLASTER card coded on 16 bits which covers the different voice levels and allows voice recognition.



   The invention aimed at the quality of the voice, when working on the digital network, the coder / decoder must have a bit rate of at least 16 kbits / sec. It is clear that, at the time of the installation of the advertiser, depending on whether it is connected to the digital network or not, the implementation, depending on the advertiser of the D / A converter, will be carried out or not.



  This will remain an option of the device according to the invention.



   The user-friendliness of the device is reflected in the fact that you can start a day during which dialogue with the device will be possible at any time.



   We will start by extracting from the "internal directory of the announcer-responder", the list of people we want to call during the day.



   We will then proceed, for these different people, to the records which concern them. Of course, it is also possible to send a message to a person who does not appear in the database and who does not wish to incorporate it. We will then do a "direct introduction".



   During the day, at any time, the device will be viewable and, possibly an unexpected message loading for the day and / or for the following days can be made. At any time also either on site or remotely the device will be searchable and messages received directly in "answering machine" function or induced following the call from the "announcer" will be heard.

  <Desc / Clms Page number 17>

 



   Although hardly conceivable, to remain reasonable, one can propose to carry out, from a distance, a recording or a modification of recording which would be necessary according to the events which took place during the day.



  It suffices, on condition of working on the DTMF network, to call the advertiser remotely and load the message.



   We can also consider having a remote edition of the progress of the tasks given at the start of the day.



   These different interactive features are in fact the result of careful programming of the read-only memory.



   Transporting the "announcer-responder" device during a trip in a foreign country requires the following operations:
Change of the logical unit's own time
Loading the telephone network change program: the test on the most frequent numbers in the "directory" being a test on the international code of the country of purchase of the device, a modification is to be considered.



   The time change programs following the time difference are most of the time configurable and therefore, the modification will be made as soon as the local time change is made.



   There is hardly any country where human intervention (operator) is required to establish a telephone connection.



   All the networks are said to be "self-switched" but there are, despite the efforts of the "International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee" (CCITT), difficulties, not at the level of the transmissions which are of great perfection (link by optical beam, by satellites) but at the level of "routing plans". Since the special global numbering plan designed for global transmission using thirteen international circuits is not accepted by all the authorities of the globe, automation can be stopped in either country known in advance and included in the directories. It is clear that the telephone announcer according to the invention can handle an intermediate message for the operator.



   We therefore understand that the system according to the invention is universal since, since 1947, international technical committees of the CCITT have set up signaling and switching specifications for semi-automatic international operation, that is to say with suppression operators (rices) in the country of arrival and maintenance only, in the country of departure,

  <Desc / Clms Page number 18>

 operators who can get subscribers from distant countries directly from the keyboard. The work of the C. C. I. T. T. focused mainly on standardization in the three fundamental areas of good transmission: signaling, numbering, routing. The present invention fits harmoniously into these regulations.



   One type of message medium that can be envisaged in the context of the invention is the removable compact disc with digitized voice and finely sampled and therefore uncompressed.



  Depending on the market for new components, such supports will be attractive, they are part of the entity designed according to the invention.



   On each of these supports, a specific message is obviously audible in isolation: in use from the keyboard (local use), the localization in addressed memory of the recipient's possible response is done instantly, even given that each response corresponds to a specific announcement which is recorded digitally and that each announcement message is initially identified by the name of the recipient. By typing on the input keyboard, the name PO (K) of the respondent read on the summary memorized for the day in 206 (fig9), we can hear a "direct" or "indirect" message via block 260 or 270, depending on the case. Emulation is done via buses and pointers 210,214, thanks to 204/206. This ultimately generates restitution.

   Downstream of the actual message output blocks, there are, in series, the blocks 340, 350,360, 370,380, 390, which have auxiliary functions such as, in order: saturation message (390): number of maximum possible ads reached; number of calls: (380) number and in DTMF, identity of the people who called (370): number of spontaneous registrations (answering machine function) (360 and 350): various reports (fig. 9).



   The block (fig. 6) with reference 8 is a data entry keyboard. It is necessary to enter the initial variables, defined above notably NAI (i) and REP (k). It turned out that the 40-WAY KEY PAD unit from the firm MAPLIN (RAYLEIGH, England, Essex SS62BR) of level 2 in quality assurance and having a useful surface of 87X8 mm square is adapted to the aim pursued.



   The capacity Cl (fig 6) is necessary to store energy, when there is an interruption of current in the event of a train of pulses (emitted or received) by rotation of the dial (see figure 1). Switch S2 enables the logic unit to power up. The line symbolized in dotted lines and surmounted by the RAM sign illustrates the fact that the train of pulses corresponding to a person called (if you want, therefore, to his call number) activates the command SI, the loop of pulses properly said being carried out via the

  <Desc / Clms Page number 19>

 regulation diode Dl in series with the transistor Q1, the base of which is controlled as for its conduction voltage by the element Q2 which therefore plays the role of pulse actuator.

   Block 1 symbolizes the ringing unit (central part in the representation of the interface unit given in FIG. 4) and 2 is a rectifying bridge.



   Unit 4 is the speech network (here, it is the block, made up of the four digital / analog converter / message reproduction devices). The four elements of this announcement / response unit are shown in Figure 11. This block is activated or not activated by Q4 which is obviously itself slaved to signals from the logic unit which sends the address of the 4 memories below. above which must be questioned. The power supply is under the control of Q3 which switches it on or off. 9 is a backup battery for possible power failure.



   Diagrams 4 and 6 show the complexity of entering a network and of communicating on this network, which often lacks "D. T. M. F.". It goes without saying that the interconnection is simpler between the lines D. T. M. F. and a logical unit. It is usual in central offices with D. T. M. F. and is applicable to the present invention and is not described further since it is known to those skilled in the art.



   The present type of local telephone operation operating with a logical unit with a single use of A / D conversion, storage, conversion, D / A must be carefully tested outside the network.



   When the operational load is not too great, the logic unit can be stopped, without loss of information. We have in a box, the usual Boolean functions, those of advanced computation, a complete micro-processing unit, memories of tens of thousands of binary elements. These memories are read only ROM. The general organization of the logic device requires at least one printed circuit board connecting between
 EMI19.1
 them the different boxes: - microprocessor box (main processor), - box, very important in this case, the timing, providing the cadence to others, with possible prohibitions indicated by
 EMI19.2
 flags, - memory boxes, - input / output box, - interface box (see above).

   The common connections are materialized in the form of "information buses" allowing the exchange of signals from the "line status" sensors, the exchange of addresses: those of the control and those of synchronization; 32-bit microprocessors produced in CMOS technique on a single chip, for example from "Belle Lab", seem well suited. The type of logical unit considered here is a single algorithm: programs and data are stored in immutable memories and in particular which do not

  <Desc / Clms Page number 20>

 not lose any information in the event of a power failure. From this angle of view, preference will be given to REPROMs. RAM memories are conventional, semiconductor; they lose their content in the event of discontinuous power supply.

   A microcomputer like the TO-8 from THOMSON is applicable.



   In the same vein, the TMS1000 series of the brand "Texas Instruments" is reported. There is obviously a decision to be made: compare the cost of the time spent writing a program for computers as they have become more common with the cost corresponding to the essential development time. The decision taken is clearly in favor of the following solution: when the program has been tested and the decision has been made to manufacture the system, the final version is adopted, the standard microcomputer circuit is programmed by masking, which comes to be irreversibly registered, which cannot be erased or destroyed. This type of security is essential for the realization of a class product.



   In fact, after the acquisition of the standard circuit, only the masking metallization must absolutely be repeated.



  Obviously, the masking program is quickly done these days thanks to the software development systems that are known to application developers. On the product provided with its masking the practical tests, in quasi-real situation, are made by using simulators and emulators which reproduce exactly real concrete situations and allow to have, statistically, a high level of confidence in the reliability of the system.



   The following is an illustrative list of all the alphanumeric variables that are considered to carry out the operations.



   - I is the number of people who are called. I can vary in operations, since unexpected calls unexpectedly identified by the device can be identified and their caller number can be detected, which allows them to be recalled later (steps 10 and 110 in the flow diagram of the figure 7).



   - J is the number of people to call that day and which give rise to an announcement which takes account, if necessary, of the time difference.



   - INOP is the flag for unexpected, unexpected calls. (step 9, fig 7) - K is the number of "non-dropout" of the correspondent Co $ is the name of the correspondent who has not answered which becomes after the first unsuccessful attempt HAR $ (K).



     - L = L + 1 counter of the tried and successful calls: stop of the announcer function (when I = L) - F1 arrow designating on the flowchart of figure 7 an unexpected call (see fig. 7)

  <Desc / Clms Page number 21>

   - F2 DTMF signal sent by the called party's station and which has the effect of putting the device on "PAUSE", taking into account that the effective recipient of the message is not next to the device.



     - F3 signals for release of the standby function possibly implemented in F2 and re-transmission of the announcement message from the start (Fig 7). The process is triggered by a specific DTMF signal sent by the effective recipient who has joined the telephone set on which he is called. The process of resetting to zero and retransmitting the message can also be initiated by the audible BEEP of an answering machine with which the advertiser is in communication. At the time of the BEEP, the announcer "recognizes" that he is in communication with an answering machine and starts the message again at the precise moment when the sound BEEP ends.

   The use of the digital technique makes it possible not to have to take into account a cassette rewinding time, as would be the case on an announcer-answering machine operating according to an analog system.



     - HFT (I) time or instant of the end of transmission of announcements, i.e. end of call to number I.



     - TIMEOP start time of operations (Step 5 fig. 7)
N = 0, 1 flag: takes the value 1 if you wish to send the "message for the uninitiated" and the value 0 if only the message, without a general introductory message is desired.



   - AR = 0, 1 is the request (value 1) for an untimely stop and request for a balance sheet.



   BIL is the direct switch triggering the transmission of a report - FMES is the end of message flag
According to FIG. 7, the functional logic sequence is resumed for the ADVERTISER operations when, after the test in step 5, it has been found that the current time was between 9:30 am and 9:30 pm, the operations are started in step 3. The main lines of principle are: starting the counter L (step 4) taking the line at 6, sending the NAP call number (I) intended for the callable I (step 8), and in 20, the dropout test. In FIG. 7, F1, F2, F3 denote, as mentioned above, the various possibilities of eventualities hindering or delaying the transmission of the message or messages. In 120, it is tested whether the counter L has reached the value I, which is also the maximum number of recipients of the day.

   Finally, let us point out in 130, an important test which makes it possible to interrupt every X (as desired) minutes (in the case of FIG. 7, every fifteen minutes), the "Announcer" function in favor of the "Responder" function .



   With reference to FIG. 9, the functional blocks of the overall device are listed. Five "internal" functions can be chosen when using the device:

  <Desc / Clms Page number 22>

 the recording of messages (5) from individual to individual or of global messages (see the flowchart of the figure) the "update (10) of the directory" of callables, the putting into operation "announcer" (15) within which one distinguishes the "normal walk" (step 17), and the request for a balance sheet (step 19) with its edition.



   According to the "Responder" function, FIG. 9 shows that a distinction is made between the "Responder" operation (20) and the recording of the welcome message (25). In the case of MULTIPLEX operation, High frequency, "answering machine" and "announcer" functions are, possibly for the observer, made simultaneous by correct filtering on the existing incoming and outgoing channel line. It should be noted that, in the same way as the advertiser's operations are of a limited duration, operation in a simple answering machine never lasts more than thirty minutes (see flowchart in Figure 9).



  Furthermore, the design of an integrated circuit equivalent to a microcomputer is complicated only insofar as the technique of TTL "chips", CMOS cells and their implementation on a menu.



   If the developer of the product according to the invention does not have this knowledge, learning is not very difficult.



   In this contrary case, it is a question of developing a system of confection of software usually acquired from a manufacturer and of following the procedure clearly evoked above, above.



   The figure illustrates the operations to be carried out in order to judiciously use the device according to the invention.



  The appliance is switched on and a main menu is offered (see Fig 10.) which gives the possible use options; FIG. 10 in question clearly shows that, via the keyboard (8) (FIG. 11) for entering data, the data relating to any correspondents is encoded, alterations of this data, and possible cancellations.



   This is, in fact an accessory application, certainly but possibly interesting as an address book. The flowchart for processing the correspondents' file is given in Figure 5.



   This flowchart does not, in fact, call for any comments, an update being common in information processing. The second option in the main "advertiser" menu is loading. FIG. 8 illustrates the operations of loading the apparatus in order to function as an "announcer-answering machine". The apparatus whose telephone connection to the network is always concretely present, according to the conventional diagram shown in FIG. 3, is placed under

  <Desc / Clms Page number 23>

 tension (step 10; fig 5). The commissioning bus 16 (fig) emulates via the input port 210 the logic unit 204, which triggers a routine for managing the mini-screen located in the read-only memory 208. This causes the global display or by scrolling messages on the screen.



   FIG. 12 illustrates a global view of the information flows relating to the announcement-response device according to the present invention.



   The internal truncated rectangle, delimited by a series of bars and dots, represents the operational center of the electro-logical system. It represents the party receiving the input signals (data or orders) and sending outgoing signals (start of recordings / stops, announcements, responses). The complete outer rectangle delimited as above, includes the response function.



   Logic unit 204 includes an arithmetic and logic unit, a register for arithmetic operations, an address control register, an instruction register, an instruction decoder, as well as other functional circuits. Block 206 is the transient memory which will be used to carry out the selected operations (Updating the file; Announcer; others (see Fig 10).



   After commissioning via port 16, entry into play 206 (fig 9) takes place via input port 210 and pointer 214 so that a specific function is chosen from the four functions in the blocks of binary digitization either: 195,197, 198,199. Concretely, 195 is the circuit directly accepting the plain language of the file update; 197 emulates the announcer function; 198 emulates the answering machine function; 199 emulates respectively and in order, according to the choices: 199a (statistics); 199b (single prices or
 EMI23.1
 accumulated); 199c, for its part, ends the operation of the announcement / response device according to the present invention (FIG. 9).



   The flow of information following the paths 210, 214 is done in operation code and symbolic addresses.



  The unit 204 obviously converts this symbolic form into binary machine language, that is to say that it contains the assembly program. Entrance route 202 follows route 210,214; it is programmed in symbolic language and is therefore the entry route for recording new relationships (future calls). This input channel contains a flag (D) which systematically forces the logical unit 204, after conversion into binary language to store the information directly in the read-only memory 208. By the same flag (D), the channel 214 injects into the system, always via 210,214 alterations relating to old relationships.

   In the latter case, the unit 204 calls the pointer 214 (right), the corresponding data which are

  <Desc / Clms Page number 24>

 read only outside block 208, transferred to 206 where, through 204, alterations are made. When the signal for the end of the data alteration process is launched from 214, the altered data demotes to 208. A withdrawal or deletion of relations being a special case of what has just been explained, the process is the even for this case.



   It will be understood that 216 being the entry route for callers of the day, the information concerning them follows the same route (loading from 208 to 206).



   In the case of encoding callers of the day, the program (see Figure 8) implies a limitation of the number of possible announcements between the agreed times, from there, the existence of the block "saturation" (230, fig 12) . Block 218 is the entry channel for recordings. The buses and pointers 210,214 end up ensuring the switching of 204 which loads the recording routine located in read-only memory in 206. According to the choice of a flag made at the level of the entry, the recording will be done on MESSAN1 or MESSAR2 which are the memories respectively for the messages of the "announcement" function and for the single message (but obviously changeable for the invitation in "responder" function (MESR2).



   Finally, 220 is the input channel for the interrogation relating to the received messages: they can be due to the "answering machine" operation where they can be the consequence of the "announcer" function.



   The small arrow marked with the reference means that if DTMF facilities are available, entry 220 will be accessible remotely, via the information flow processes described above and, therefore, the messages received, whether they originate "direct" (answering function) or indirect (announcer function) will therefore be audible from a distance by telephone, it being understood that frequency discrimination will be made and that the program in 206 will take it into account.



  The operator chooses, at this desired time, for example, the "advertiser" option from the menu displayed in FIG. 10. He chooses, on the mini-screen (see Fig), the "block" of the "Introduction of called parties of the menu" menu. day". Steps 20 and 30 (Fig 5) are used to introduce the variables CO $ (i, j) and ADCO $ (i, j) and NAP (i) of the future called of the day. These various data emanate from the input register 195 (FIG. 9) where they are ordered according to the techniques of the logic of the circuits by precise addressing. It is obviously the operating system which operates this data management by the conventional techniques of machine languages of the mini-data processing system.



  In 30, we test whether NAP (i) is worth 32 or not (international number of the country where the device is installed, for example in this case Belgium. If NAP (i) is

  <Desc / Clms Page number 25>

 different from 32, the logical unit 204 (fig. 9) loads from the ROM 208 the classic subroutine of the public domain. for calculating the time difference (DECAL logic block (fig 5)) Having now clearly recalled in the above the possibilities that exist, we set out below the different functionalities with which the device is equipped: refer to what has been said above, as to the types of functionality envisaged.

   The latter are specified in the following: after, the various functionalities with which the apparatus is endowed: Reference will be made to what has been said above, as to the types of functionalities envisaged. The latter are specified in the following: The overall functions which the telephone apparatus provided with the device according to the invention must provide are the following: - Memory storage of all the persons likely to be called (with or without employment of the system). 512K memory.



   - Possibility to enter in the above memory names and relational characteristics of new "entrants": constitution of a "personal botin".



   Global visualization of the panorama of successes / failures during contact and / or trial time intervals.



  Intrinsic functions: for the advertiser: optimal management of the planning of calls / responses over the time that elapses during a day.



  Setting at the start of the day, or prior to an absence, the number of people to call.



  Setting the start and end times for calls. Line release function and launch of subscriber number.



  Visualization function of the number of failures when testing numerous calls to the same person.



  For the answering machine: Line seizure; Transmission of the introductory message recording of the possible response message from the correspondent who had the call initiative.



  Possibility of remote interrogation of the content of received messages (DTMF case). Remote control stop activation of the device in either operating mode (DTMF case).



  Between two announcements: time interval reservation where the
 EMI25.1
 reception of messages is possible ("answering machine" function nested in "announcer" function). Ring detection: storage of a caller's number during an announcement (DTMF case).



   The presentation of the device is that of a rectangular box whose dimensions are (in mm): 280x220x70 including in this volume, the volume of

  <Desc / Clms Page number 26>

 the telephone device, which in practice represents approximately 2/5 of the total volume, depending on the types of device that are initially installed.



   FIG. 11 illustrates a practical configuration of the device according to the invention.



   The main advantage of the possibly interactive message management system according to the invention lies in the presence of mechanically operating parts in minimum number.



   The memorization is done by pure digital way.



   The internal clock present in the logic unit determines the interventions of this unit. Two operations are asynchronous to these sets of logical tasks; these are inputs via the keyboard and outputs of the dialing pulses. The interrupt method is used to handle these tasks. The data entering the logical unit is processed in "packets" which are stored at regular interruption intervals. Any task in the main program of the logic unit is thus inhibited when the logic unit is responsible for all of the "missions" that it must perform during a day.



   In operation, the transmission of the dialing pulses is done independently of the clock rate and stops with the flag for finishing dialing sending.



  The device has a matrix display (fig 11) for example with liquid crystal, the screen has at least 6 lines with 32 characters. The full display of the identification parameters of a "callable" is possible without performing a screen switching operation or line "sliding" in the case of liquid crystal display.



  The keyboard is usual, with square keys, about 8 mm side. A satisfactory type of keyboard has been mentioned. It has functional keys with obvious headings: "A" for the single "announcer" function, "R" for the single "answering machine" function and Mil for the mixed function. "M" will obviously be the key that will be the most often used.
 EMI26.1
 l In addition to the functional keys, the keyboard (8) will have 26 alphabetic letters, 10 numbers, 16 punctuation keys and a screen command key.



   The memories are in two logical states and are therefore conventional, either on "hard" support or on floppy disk or optical disk, with erasure possible according to operational needs.



   The power of the acoustic output device is 400mW, with a signal-to-noise output ratio of 30dB. A loudspeaker (1) (fig11) allows the reproduction of the different

  <Desc / Clms Page number 27>

 messages, input and output, accepting signals without distortion, for an output impedance of 8 ohms, the diameter of the speaker being only 40 mm.



   The logical management of the unit ensures the direction, at the desired time, or on the explicit intervention of the operator on the keyboard, of the various signals containing the messages. Although it has been designed to perform its functions with all telephone receiver systems currently on the market, it is clear that the user will have, for the same "advertiser-answering" device, greater operating efficiency (interactive functions ) if the called party is equipped with the DTMF system (see fig 2). It should be pointed out again that portable transmitters of the frequencies D. T. M. F. are available on the market.



   On the basis of the preceding structural explanations which have demonstrated the functional simplicity of the announcer-responder according to the invention, reference is now made to FIG. 10 which is a synoptic view of the functions offered to the user. Four main functions are offered to the user: DATE; FILE, ADVERTISER, ANSWERING MACHINE. The practical realization of these functions is entirely feasible on the basis of the circuits, diagrams and diagrams of information flow, flags given in FIGS. 3 to 9 above.



  They are given, in broad outline, purely by way of example, with the proposal of a possible operating sequence for implementing these functions. Remember that the device has a screen (2) and an "AZERTY" keyboard (8). There are also directional arrows allowing you to choose from the menus and submenus that include the mentioned functions.



   The DATE function: After putting the device into service, we opt for this function by moving the directional cursor which allows, on the basic starting menu, to choose one of the four functions mentioned above.



   On the screen three options are proposed:
SETTING CITY
 EMI27.1
 SUMMER
The choice of CITY brings up two sub-functions: - DEPARTURE - INFO
The choice of "DEPARTURE" gives the possibility of defining the city from where the announcer - responder will ensure its "missions".



  If the owner has traveled with his device and is at the end of his trip in a time zone completely different from that of the city where the device is

  <Desc / Clms Page number 28>

 
 EMI28.1
 usually used, the use of this sub-function is essential.



  Having defined, by cursor, the choice "START", you can type the spatio-temporal usage data.



  For example: PARIS MON MON 16 AUG 11:54, PARIS having been selected from a series of cities proposed by the device, with mention of the current time and day (via the INFO sub-function).



   Choosing "SET" allows you to set the time and date.



   Choosing the "SUMMER" option allows you to switch to summer time, if necessary.



   The FILE function, which is the second of the main menu is very important and the choice of this function leads to the following six choices: - SEARCH - SAVE - DELETE - MODIFY - SORT - INFO
The choice of SEARCH allows you to find the call number of a person whose at least the first five letters of the patronymic are entered: it is a memory consultation containing the list of callers (cf. Electronic agenda) .



   The choice of SAVE corresponds to a desire to introduce a new person into the memory containing the callables and this, with all the parameters and fixed timing constraints relating to this person. We will therefore have the display on the first screen line: "NAME?". We type on the keyboard the name of the person and we send the execution order (EXE key). Three lines on the screen suggest typing three phone numbers. After typing these three numbers on the lines, you have the option of putting identification details next to these numbers, for example: office, private: first residence, private: second residence, etc. - The fifth line of the 'screen proposes to send or not the message of `` introduction' 'which was mentioned: INTRODUCTION: Y / N.



  The sixth line will discuss the possible reduction of the time slots for calls. By selecting "0" following the sixth line message "reduction in call ranges Y / N, the following text appears on the screen: - WEEKLY LIMITS - DAILY CONSTRAINTS

  <Desc / Clms Page number 29>

 The choice of WEEKLY LIMITS results in the following three lines: TEL NUMBER 32/2/3844180 (Albert Dupont)
M M M D V S D
HE Mr. W. E.



   CALLING RANGES By the commands via the cursor (up, down, left, right) we choose the day or days of the week and, the choice made, the introduction in machine takes place by the EXE key.



   The choice of DAILY CONSTRAINTS, for example, shows:
TELEPHONE NUMBER 32/2/3848180
FROM ... TO .....



   FROM ... TO .....



  The empty boxes are filled by the operator who sends the order via EXE.



   Choosing to DELETE will display:
DELETE "..............." (Name to be deleted)
ARE YOU SURE? Y / N if a mission is in progress relative to this person, the screen will display:
ATTENTION MISSION IN PROGRESS WILL BE CANCELED
ARE YOU SURE? Y / N We will select 0 or N as appropriate, followed by EXE.



   The ANNOUNCER function, when it is selected in the main menu, results in the display of: - INTRODUCTION MESSAGE
MISSION
STATISTICAL
CURRENT MISSION STOP
IDENTIFICATION OF ANSWERS If the choice is made for MESSAGE INTRODUCTION, the screen displays:
INTRODUCTION MESSAGE # 1 - REGISTRATION - END - DESIGNATION - LISTENING - MODIFICATION - EXIT
 EMI29.1
 By placing the cursor on "RECORDING" followed by EXE, the following text appears on the screen:

  <Desc / Clms Page number 30>

 "Attention, speak after the beep and press the" F "key at the end of your speech".



  By placing the cursor on DESIGNATION, you choose the language in which the introductory message must be sent; REPLAY is a function that needs no explanation.



  MODIFICATION: By choosing this option, followed by EXE, the cassette containing the message that we have just recorded returns to the starting "top" and a following text appears on the screen which invites the author of the introductory message to resume operations at the start after having, preferably, especially if the language used is not his mother tongue, put the message in writing to read it and so that it is not too long.



  EXIT is a function that calls no comments.



   The MISSION option, which is the second option offered in the "ADVERTISER" function, shows the following text on the screen: INDIVIDUAL MISSION
COLLECTIVE MISSION
As already mentioned above, these options are part of the capabilities of the device. Remember that choosing "COLLECTIVE MISSION" allows you to contact a series of people and send them a single message.



   For reasons of simplicity, we will only comment in detail on the "INDIVIDUAL MISSION" option. The option "INDIVIDUAL MISSION" brings up the following text on the screen:
RECIPIENT
DIRECT INTRODUCTION
SELECTION IN THE FILE Direct introduction allows you to send a message to a person who is not included in the file. Once the data has been entered or selected in the file, the following text appears:
INTRODUCTION MESSAGE Y / N This section allows you to delete the introductory message or to choose from several messages.



  Then the following text appears:
CALL TIMING - FREQUENCY REITERATION OF CALLS.



   One call every ... H ... Min. failing to complete this section, calls will be repeated at a standard rate, for example every two hours.



   - MAXIMUM DURATION OF THE MISSION: ... Days (if not mentioned, the mission will be limited to 1 day).

  <Desc / Clms Page number 31>

 
 EMI31.1
 



  DETERMINATION OF CALL RANGES.



  FROM ...... To ......



  FROM ...... To ......



  Otherwise, calls will be made during a single uninterrupted period from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. except when instructions are provided individually at the file level.



  If the selected call range "exceeds" the period between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., the following text will appear: "ATTENTION! YOUR NIGHT CALLS MAY HAVE A RISK TO YOUR RECIPIENTS. ARE YOU SURE? Y / N" Press 0 or N , followed by EXE.



  When you pressed EXE (see previous paragraph), the
 EMI31.2
 word "MESSAGE" appears on the screen: It is followed by the following options:
DESIGNATION ON
RECORDING RECORDING
MODIFICATION
DESIGNATION
Allows you to give a number, a name or a brief description of the message. The designation makes it possible to establish statistics (see below), that is to say an overview of the successes / failures of telephone calls relating to a message.



  If you press the o key, the following text will appear on the DESIGNATION MESSAGE screen: ...



  The relevant section should be completed by pressing "EXE". If you choose N (the most frequent case in an individual procedure), the name of the person will automatically be used to designate the message.



   RECORDING
By placing the cursor on "RECORDING", the following text appears: "BE CAREFUL, SPEAK AFTER THE SOUND BEEP AND PRESS THE F KEY WHEN YOU HAVE ENDED THE MESSAGE".



   REPEAT
By placing the cursor on "REPEAT" followed by EXE, it is possible to hear the message again.



   MODIFICATION
By placing the cursor on "MODIFICATION" followed by EXE, the cassette of the message returns to the starting point and the text inviting to speak after the audible BEEP reappears on the screen.



   Press "EXIT" to return to the main menu.

  <Desc / Clms Page number 32>

 The STATISTICAL function which is the third, after the choice of the advertiser function, makes it possible to obtain a panorma of failures / successes during the various attempts, on a day, a week or a month. Having put the cursor on STATISTICS, we type EXE and the following messages come on screen:
BY MESSAGE
BY RECIPIENT The option "By message" allows you to know the number of effective called (this number is not necessarily equal to the number of called that we had programmed since the incoming calls may have made it impossible to realize the entire mission on the day.

   In this case, the lesson to be learned would be that the load imposed on the device is too great and that it was necessary to take into account the indications of the overload coefficient and possibly to lighten the device if the same phenomenon reoccurs for several days in a row.



  * The option "By recipient" presents a list of the names of the called parties followed by the letters (D) or (ND) (D = "pick up the handset"). It should be noted that the device applies, by its design, that any handset that has been lifted is equivalent to a situation where the message was sent.



  The option "STOP MISSIONS IN PROGRESS" followed by EXE results in the display of:
BY MESSAGE
BY RECIPIENT The choice of "By Message" results in the end of calls to all the people for whom the message is intended (in the case of a collective message).



  Choosing "By recipient", followed by EXE displays the list of recipients for a given message preceded by the title "MISSION STOP". We put the cursor on the first letter of the name of the person to be eliminated from the recipients and we enter the order by EXE. The device will automatically continue its individual or collective missions, in the order prescribed, not without having displayed, for the recipient who has just been deleted:
DELETION OF STATISTICS? WE
ERASING THE MESSAGE? Y / N The IDENTIFICATION OF ANSWERS option followed by EXE allows it to be listened to again: it should be recalled that during registration, a specific individualization corresponding to the name of the called party is printed in the advertiser's MEMANR memory, thanks to which the search is easy.

  <Desc / Clms Page number 33>

 



   The identification of responses can therefore be done in 3 ways:
 EMI33.1
 by name: the name of the person called is entered. by message: the designation of the message is introduced (in the case of a collective message).



   - sequential identification: It allows you to listen to announcement and response messages in chronological order. The latter function can easily be used remotely via DTMF signals. The announcement message can be interrupted by issuing a specific DTMF signal. At this point, we hear the answer directly.



   The high level of interactivity possible between the protagonists of the communication characterizes the device according to the invention. We have in fact the possibility of reactions to the following situations: -Non off-hook-off-reception of the "busy" station signal - reception of the fault signal reception of an "out of service" notice-reception of a significant signal from a interrogation or remote mission - (via DTMF) -reception of a significant waiting or replay signal on the initiative of a "called" reception of a beep from an answering machine when the the call is successful (off-hook) and the device is in communication with an answering machine.



   The foregoing explanations will have made the principles clear and have shown that the embodiments described are susceptible of variants accessible to a person skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention as synthesized in the claims.


    

Claims (7)

 CLAIMS 1. Fully interactive interactive telephone announcer (20) and answering device (15) with timed line guard comprising a telephone / microcomputer interface card, a logical unit which, with the help of a set sensor-detectors and a set of line and transmission sockets on the telephone network, management of inputs, outputs and / or time of communications and that of possible deviations of messages (5) of voice, music, or of superposition of these two elements, which device memorizes and sends messages (5) which are prerecorded, memorized, announced or received, by way of storage and pure digital transmission and which can subsequently be converted into analog form,  the encoded information being exclusively reserved for the optimal management of the comings and goings of messages (5), characterized in that the device makes it possible to respect social conventions by performing one or the other at least of the following functions: planning of the time of sending messages according to a predetermined time range; limitation in advance of the number of calls addressed to the called party; stop the process of reiterating calls from the moment when contact with the recipient has been established; recognition of an automatic answering machine by the beep of the answering machine; resetting and / or re-transmission of the message triggered by the beep of an answering machine; selection of the time slots for the call according to the time zone of the called party; choice of frequency for reiterating calls;  choice of the maximum duration of the calling mission; distribution over time of the "announcer" and "responder" functions; planning of the issuance of calls based on a theoretical overload limit calculation for intensive use. 2. Telephone announcer (20) - answering machine (15) of the fully interactive type, with timed line guard comprising a telephone / microcomputer interface card, a logic unit which ensures, with the help of a set of sensor-detectors and a set of line and emission sockets on the telephone network, management of inputs, outputs and / or communication time and that of possible deviations of messages (5) of voice, music, or superposition of these two elements, which device memorizes and sends messages (5) which are prerecorded, memorized, announced or received, by means of storage and pure digital transmission and which can subsequently be converted into analog form,  the encoded information being exclusively reserved for optimal aisle management and  <Desc / Clms Page number 35>  coming from messages (5), characterized in that the storage medium is a set of RAM memory type (206) addressable during operation and which contains the result of the digitization of a recording forming the substance of a message, this assembly being divided into two, the first assuming the function of answering machine-recorder of messages (5), the second assembly ensuring the function of announcer-recorder of messages (5), said assemblies being functionally slaved to the control signals the logic unit (4) which digitized the initially analog messages,  put them in memory in this digital form to restore them according to a well-defined program in digital or analog mode before sending them on the network line. 3. Telephone announcer-answering device according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device allows the recognition of an automatic answering machine by the beep of the answering machine which triggers the transmission of a message. 4. Telephone announcer-answering device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device allows the planning of the time of transmission of messages according to a predetermined time range and the selection of time slots according to the time zone of the called party. 5. Telephone announcer-answering device according to one or other of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device manages the stopping of the call reiteration process from the moment when contact with the recipient has been established. 6. Telephone announcer-answering device according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device makes it possible to limit in advance the number of calls addressed to the recipient, to choose the frequency of reiteration of calls and / or choose the maximum duration of the call mission. 7. Telephone announcer-answering device according to one or other of the preceding claims, characterized in that the scheduling of the transmission of calls is carried out taking into account a calculation of overload limit with a view to intensive use of the device in its announcer function.